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Firstly, I get the concept - it’s a road bike you can take off road.
I guess my question is, why this over a hardtail? If you have a 29er with 2.4” tyres on, lock out the forks - what’s the difference?
Forgive my ignorance - I’m interested in the concept and type of riding; but I’m finding it difficult to understand the benefits of a gravel bike over a hardtail.
Thanks in advance!
Lighter, quicker on smooth surfaces, drop bars, can take mudguards and lots of luggage.
Given your previous post about how harsh hardtails are, just assume they're not for you 🙂
they can go fast, they don't need much in the way of gnarr to start to get exciting.
Lighter than an XC hardtail? are they really though? surely not by all that much if they're built to carry loads of shit and changing tyres to the same as a gravel bike runs would probably close that gap even tighter. Honestly can't see the gravel bike being much faster if you did that either. or do Gravel enthusiasts adopt an aero position these days?
The main difference IMO is the tyres and drop bars/controls
Hardtail is more versatile/fun from a riding perspective
Gravel is more versatile from a luggage carrying/mudguard fitting perspective
I just did a gravel ride around Colorado Springs today. I was riding with a guy on a hardtail. He wasn't enjoying himself. The wind was pretty unrelenting and he couldn't get a good position in the head winds. That's why I use a gravel bike instead of a hardtail on those rides, to get down on the drops for the slogs into the wind. I've ridden my hardtail on a gravel ride before and it's just not technical enough to give any advantage, and if you lose a wheel into the wind it's harder getting back on.
They're for when a CX bike is too shit, but a rigid XC bike isn't shit enough.
Horses for courses imo.
I got mine to ride from the door more often. Had offspring ,didn't/don't want to drive to ride. I also live in the South East where "tame" cross country riding becomes a little more difficult and therefore more interesting. & Narrow bars make it much easier to get out of town.
I also like to suffer & wear lycra.
🙂
As above the original idea was combine some road and bridleways on a local loop. MTBs always look a little ridiculous on the road.
Horses for courses imo.
I got mine to ride from the door more often. Had offspring ,didn’t/don’t want to drive to ride. I also live in the South East where “tame” cross country riding becomes a little more difficult and therefore more interesting. & Narrow bars make it much easier to get out of town.
I also like to suffer & wear lycra.
This, apart from the kids and lycra bits.
I have to drive to get to any decent trails, but there's lots of local riding from my door.
To build a comparable in weight hardtail would cost loads more, mine is 9.5kg and cost £1400. They're better on the road than a hardtail due to faster tyres and drop bars, they'll do light off road, road, and make going for a pootle down some country lanes a pleasure.
There is a lot of crossover between them and an XC hardtail, with the hardtail being more capable on dirt and the gravel bike better on road.
If you have a 29er with 2.4” tyres on,
Compared to an MTB hardtail with a 67 degree HA it's just feel. Plus locked out Sus forks tend to feel a bit different, they usually move a bit.
I have a rigid 29er with a 70.5 degree HA. It's a bit closer to a gravel bike. If it had drops and thinner tyres it'd be even closer, just heavier.
Drops and steeper angles make gravel bikes easier to ride like a road bike on roads and hence a bit more comfy and a bit faster.
Thanks for the replies all.
I suppose I just look at the geo and don’t understand how it makes it better - standover height seems higher and drop bars scare me - but then I’ve never ridden drop bars before.
Does the geo (larger front triangle, generally shorter) make it more comfortable for longer sessions?
I live in Cheshire and have to drive to find decent MTB trails so as I said, the concept appeals - just trying to discover if it’s for me. Will give those vids above a watch!
They’re for when a CX bike is too shit, but a rigid XC bike isn’t shit enough.
Mostly this.
I have road, cx, gravel*, monstercross and XC hardtail bikes. They all do something a bit differently. I'm planning to sell the monstercross as TBH that's a niche that didn't need to exist unless you're doing the tour divide or similar.
Not sure whether GeeX actually rides a gravel bike, he implies not but has an opinion anyway. It's less about aero and more about multiple hand positions. I can do 100 miles on the Xc bike but it feels quite tough on the hands after 8 hour, on drop bars it's nowhere near as bad. And the drops do give a bit of respite in the wind.
Not sure guards and luggage mounts are a gravel bike thing. You can go bike packing on anything from a road bike to a fs mtb. Although gravel bikes do lend themselves to longer distances and unsurfaced traffic free roads/routes.
*In the non uci compliant cx bike style.
Does the geo (larger front triangle, generally shorter) make it more comfortable for longer sessions?
That's just road bike geometry. Drop bars in effect create a ~200mm stem.
Learn to love the drops, by being so low you have a lot less leverage trying to throw you over the front wheel compared to a traditional xc setup. It's just a different way of solving the stability problem. I wouldn't swap it for long, low and slack on a properly rough track, but it works well enough and offers other advantages to make up for it's shortcomings.
I’d try drops before you buy anything, they don’t suit me at all. I ended up selling my road bike & buying a flat barred hybrid which could just do with wider tyres.
I live in Cheshire and have to drive to find decent MTB trails so as I said, the concept appeals – just trying to discover if it’s for me. Will give those vids above a watch!
To be blunt, gravel bikes are rubbish on good/interesting MTB trails. Anyone that says they're great all-rounders is either selling gravel bikes or a real pootler off-road. Drop bars are a bad choice for technical riding.
Having said all that I love fat-tyre road bikes. I like road riding but I don't see the point in a trad race bike type as I don't race. I have a fat-tyre drop bar bike for road rides that take in a bit of trail or track along the way and to bypass busier roads or just see where they go. I might use those trails in future to add to an MTB loop so they're good for exploring, also means I can ride some easier byway type of trails that are further out from home than normal MTB ride range. I have calling them 'adventure bikes' (any bike is) but yeah, they make sense for road-biased rides that widen your local trail knowledge.
No need for drop bars though. Drops seem to be a popular thing in off-road touring at the mo but I see a lot of struggling, underbiked riders who'd be better off on bigger tyres and wider bars. A rigid, light XC 29er is arguably just as good a gravel bike, just depends. And tyres make the bike.
My hardtail (with carbon forks) is 11kg. I happened to demo a gravel bike yesterday that's around the same price point - 9.6kg. You could load either up with the same amount of baggage.
"Gravel" is already a wide category of its own in the same way that "mountain bike" is. The bike I demoed was basically a road bike with room for beefier tyres, the groupset was standard Shimano 105 which would be basically useless off-road here in the Dales. At the other end something with "road plus" tyres is all but an MTB with drop bars (usually flared).
They are a bit slower on road, maybe 10%, than a pure road bike but you've got the option of just heading off down a rough lane that looks interesting or you know cuts out a bit of horrible main road that you'd have to negotiate on a road bike. Out of choice I wouldn't head round a trail centre on one but most would be able to ride much of something like the red XC route at Inners on one with just a few sections giving cause for concern.
A gravel bike frame with two sets of wheels (700c & road plus) would do all my road and easy off road riding. Unfortunately it means introducing the n-2 rule ☺️
My hardtail (with carbon forks) is 11kg. I happened to demo a gravel bike yesterday that’s around the same price point – 9.6kg. You could load either up with the same amount of baggage.
On road yes, but on a track the bigger tyres of the hardtail (assume a 29er) carry the load with more control and probably efficiency. I've ridden with guys on gravel bikes on basic estate tracks while I've been on a 29er and the difference is dramatic. Goes the other way on tarmac though!
Interesting thread. I have 2 gravel bikes, at opposite ends of the gravel spectrum - a Croix de Fer, with 105 groupset, and a carbon fork, which I use a lot on the road in winter, for touring, and for mixed rides which are more road than trail :
and a Vagabond, which is only a few weeks old, and really proving it's worth for more off road trips, where mile munching and versatility is the aim :
Okay, so I can see the benefit of the drop bars now its been explained - i guess its just getting used to them. Can see how hand position changes will be useful over larger miles.
I suppose an XC 29er could be adapted with those Ergon touring grips and thinner tyres to make it more road friendly etc.
Riding mine on the road is a bit of a chore; but as has been said earlier its the tyres that make the bike, and having 2.6 DHFs on my HT isn't going to make it pleasant on anything flat!
Main conclusions seem to be that its personal preference - as with anything!
They look odd but M / H bars (Mary, Jones type, etc) are worth thinking about on a rigid 29er - they give you fore-aft range for road and off-road positions and I like the swept grip angle for general riding. Drops are said to offer more hand positions but most riders are on the hoods 90% of the time anyway.
Tyres - if it's dry and not too loose you'd be amazed how fast and capable a 29 x 2.35 G-One can be.
(edit - there's someone else on here that could have written the very same post!)
After riding the Wild Boar Chase last weekend as one of the only gravel bikes there, I can happily say hand on heart that hardtails are just as fast as gravel bikes over the distance.
Once you start doing long rides then multiple hand positions makes things so much more pleasant. For last year's French Divide I fitted Velo Orange Crazy Bars to my Solaris to give me lots of hand positions: a long road section - get on the "tri-bars"; standard cruising - hands at base of tri-bars; technical stuff - hands at end of bars; etc.
Gravel bikes certainly aren't "one bike to rule them all" but depending on where you live and what riding you do they could be very useful.
Drop bars are a bad choice for technical riding.
You are totally right, but those trails are a lot of seat of the pants fun and an adrenaline rush on a drop bar bike. Trails that you'd barely notice on a proper MTB are exciting again and above all its the fun that we all like.
Northwind
Subscriber
They’re for when a CX bike is too shit, but a rigid XC bike isn’t shit enough.
Very much this. I have plenty of trails around my house that are boring as anything on a mtb, but the 33c CX tyres and wheels get a bit of a kicking. My "Gravel" bike is just my CX with bigger wheels and tyres and it does the job nicely for From The Door riding
This thread captured my interest as much of my riding is from the door, meaning either slogging it out on the MTB (29er HT) or road bike rides with no dirt fun!
I had been looking at various gravel bikes, especially the Road Plus variety and really had a good look at the London Bike show.
I ended up ordering a Ribble CGR 725. I have covered over 150 miles so far on mixed surfaces. Drops have been no issue as I am comfortable on them and the fit of the bike is spot on for all day comfort.
Overall, it is a fantastic machine. But that is also the issue I am finding right now. It feels like a machine. Very efficient but, at the moment at least, my emotions aren't involved. Maybe more me than the bike. Or maybe the bike I opted for. I don't know.
Bottom line = they work but they aren't a cycling panacea.
Mines used on fireroads, bridleways, towpaths and linking the above up, mainly on extended commutes home, rides to the pub, a few miles when the local singletrack is nasty. I don't like using it on singletrack as its crap for it.
Its more for just riding about, just because you can.
Great for mixed riding. After an accident I'm not wild on being on the road too much. I can string a 40 mile route together that's 50/50 off and on tarmac. I get out of built up areas on cycle paths, then bridleways, farm roads, quiet country lanes, South Downs Way. Barely see a car. I enjoy my CX with 40mm tires on just about anything other than pointing downhill on rough stuff. So if that's the sort of thing I'd probably avoid and stick with an MTB.
Since 1989 when I got my first MTB, I've wanted a cross-country style mountain bike with drop bars, now I've got one and love it.
(My one is more MTB than gravel though; I also want something lighter and carbon, like maybe a Diverge, for straight tarmac/gravel rides.)
For me a Gravel Bike is a road bike that can go off road, rather than an off road bike thats ok on road.
Dorset Knob...its a Diverge..nice bike but a few issues around bearing life and stupidly expensive chainrings...
I suppose an XC 29er could be adapted with those Ergon touring grips and thinner tyres to make it more road friendly etc.
That's exactly what I've done. Trek Superfly with anything from 33c CX tyres through to 45c WTVB Resolutes.
From the side it pretty much just looks like an XC racing hardtail, from the front though you notice the skinnier tyres and the cut down bars (580mm flats, not even that narrow really).
I keep experimenting with different bars to try and replicate the hand positions of drop bars but still compatible with an MTB frame/MTB controls. Haven't really had any luck, there's apparently some real subtleties to handlebar shape that can mean all sorts of pins and needles and weird hand discomfort after 4 hours. Sticking with flat bars and Ergon grips until I can afford a proper drop bar gravel bike.
I'm using my 'gravel' bike to explore glens and tracks that would be too boring on an MTB (or can only be accessed by lots of tarmac) and are too rough for the road bike. In Scotland most of these tracks are rough enough that I'm still a big fan of 100mm Reba forks...
One of my favourite gravel loops involves two beautiful dead end tarmac roads linked with a really good rolling landrover hill track (Comrie to Callander via Glen Artney). Interestingly the KOM seems to be swapping between me and an MTBer at the moment...
A gravel bike is a rigid hardtail (except when it isn't).
It's also a delight for the negative pedants because it helps justify their existence (to themselves).
It's basically a 1980s MTB configured for the sort of trails that existed before big suspension came in and trail builders had to add features and flow to add excitement.
That makes them the perfect bike for when you get your kicks out of the scenery, not playpark features.
And like Jameso says, it's really all about the tyres. What holds them apart is basically immaterial.
Just get out there and look at the country instead of having to concentrate on what the next few metres of track you're racing through look like, and you'll soon work out what you want in a gravel bike.
Gravel bikes - fire road. Mountain bikes - trails. Neither rule should be considered binding.
Just get out there and look at the country instead of having to concentrate on what the next few metres of track you’re racing through look like, and you’ll soon work out what you want in a gravel bike.
Not in my world. I'm still "racing" along the path/trails on my gravel bike, i don't use it for bimbling. I also have WTB Nanos on, so pretty much trail focused
Different strokes for different folks innit (hence "Grinduro" also being a thing)
OP, I can tell you want one. Get one, you will love it 🙂
Gravel are no where near as shite as 1980`s mtbs.
We now have disc brakes, hydraulics, dual compound tyres with protection, drop bars, 1x setups, tubeless technology, carbon fibre forks/frames and components, clipless, and modern geometry.
The gravel bike is far superior to those old clunkers.
For me a Gravel Bike is a road bike that can go off road, rather than an off road bike thats ok on road.
This sums it up well. For road and fire-roads a gravel bike is simply faster as it is better suited to going faster. Much more aerodynamic position, lighter wheels and tyres, lighter overall.
I have a 6.5kg bike (28c tyres) I use on gravel and a 13kg MTB (2.4 tyres) I use off road. They don't even feel close to ride.
OP, I can tell you want one. Get one, you will love it 🙂
Haha 😉
Well all i'm thinking is eventually I'd like two bikes - a full suss around 130mm in travel, and a hardtail (or Gravel?) for going out from the house.
So its really just a feeler as to whether the bike with no rear suss is going to be a hardtail or a gravel.
This is all immaterial really - I've got no cash! And a full susser will come first...
I have a 6.5kg bike (28c tyres) I use on gravel
Not sure that qualifies, will need to check the marketing rules (your gravel paths must be billiard table smooth!)
OP, I can tell you want one. Get one, you will love it 🙂
Haha 😉
I'm just exploring my options really. Eventually I'd like two bikes - I know that a 130mm FS bike will be more than enough for my trail riding (waiting for Bird to drop a 29er short travel 😉 ) but I'm just figuring out what the other one should be.
Gravel seems like a good compromise for riding out from where I currently live; Cheshire is flat, boring and decent MTB is a drive away. But equally it seems a hardtail can be adapted to this end and I already have one of those, so...
I had the same ponderings 18 months ago. Did loads of research to 'justify' the investment and opted for a Friston. From the first ride I 'got' what it was all about. But much has already been said about that above.
The bottom line for me is that it's fast and involving enough on road to make those 80/20 road/trails rides still fun. And it's soooo much more capable offroad than I imagined. Having to pick different lines and generally adapt one's riding for the really technical stuff is just plain hoot worthy. And never did I believe I'd live in the drops when tackling anything steep but I do. And it feels right. It just does.
I don't care if a 29er can do the same .... because while it is kind of the same, it also isn't ... it's different.
FTR most of my riding is in the Surrey Hill (all seasons) and there are only very few sections (bigger drops and stupidly steep) that I choose not to ride on it.
This chap knows his onions seems to agree (albeit in a more XC stylee) ...
They are essentially road bikes with an increased tolerance for rougher road surfaces, as long as you keep that in mind and don't think you're getting a magic all-in-one replacement for an MTB and a road bike then they can be great. I'm on to my 4th iteration of this type of machine from a PX Kaffenback to Crosslights 4 & 5 and now an NS RAG+. They just work really well for me as a commuter that opens up more traffic free routes and for getting some miles in around the local bridleways.
OP - Where in Cheshire are you?
I use mine for linking up the country lanes and bridleways with bits of singletrack in Delamere. Straight from the front door. Its pretty much perfect for that.
mashr
Not in my world. I’m still “racing” along the path/trails on my gravel bike, i don’t use it for bimbling...
You don't have to be going slow to enjoy the scenery. 🙂
Well all i’m thinking is eventually I’d like two bikes – a full suss around 130mm in travel, and a hardtail (or Gravel?) for going out from the house.
So its really just a feeler as to whether the bike with no rear suss is going to be a hardtail or a gravel.
This is all immaterial really – I’ve got no cash! And a full susser will come first…
That's my aim too, I've just taken delivery of the gravel bike and I have a 140mm travel FS bike for proper trails.
I'd like a titanium or steel hardtail as well, but that's well down on the list.
For me the key thing is the geometry accomodating the drops - moving to a standing position for climbing is just much more natural on a gravel/road bike than it is on a hardtail.
OP – Where in Cheshire are you?
Just south of Chester nr Carden Park. Easy drive to Llandegla but out the door is pants, or walking trails which are barred from bikes (i.e Sandstone Trail)
epicyclo
Subscriber
You don’t have to be going slow to enjoy the scenery.
You do if your trail demands concentration
mashr
You do if your trail demands concentration
That's the whole point of large volume tyres on a gravel bike.
You are totally right, but those trails are a lot of seat of the pants fun and an adrenaline rush on a drop bar bike.
Totally agree, I've enjoyed under-biking most things since I had an 80s ATB and maybe that's where my idea of how fast should feel comes from. A bit rattly and not actually that fast compared to a big bike, more seat of pants stuff at times.
epicyclo
Subscriber
That’s the whole point of large volume tyres on a gravel bike.
They steer the bike down twisty trails for me so that I can look at the scenery? Otherwise, you've lost me
'Knocking out epic loops'
Thats what I just bought mine for. Really fancy doing some mixed 50-80 mile routes with loads of bridleways etc. But there would still be 20 - 30 miles on the road and that's not something I want to ride with a flat bar hardtail.
I did a 50 miler last year on my 14.5kg FS bike, along pilgrims way - a mixture of road and gravel/byways. At about 15 miles from home I was really thinking how I'd like to be on a nice, lightweight hardtail...
I reckon I'll try and beat this ride this year on the gravel bike.
Reasons why I like my CX/Gravel bike
1) It opens up country lanes as a valid travelling method. It never feels slow on them. Widens the scope of rides from home.
2) It completely changes the experience of riding on local trails/areas - I do some things backwards, some boring tracks are now a blast and some techie climbs are actually faster.
3) When the trails are awful, I can still go for a road ride (I don't own a road bike).
4) I can load it up in a way that I can't on my full sus due to dropper/shock/etc, so most of my recent bivvies have been on the CX
---
I use it as a compliment to my only mtb - a 140mm full sus and love it. Don't really feel the need for a hardtail. It's cheap to run (£15 tyres) and feels so different that it refreshes rides. If I go out alone - it's usually on this.
I should mention, that I went for something on the light/racey side of the spectrum.
I went from a a fairly heavy Geneis CdA gravel bike to a very light Cube XC hardtail and I preferred that.
The Cube was a lot lighter and cost around £1000 to build using second hand bargain hunting for most of the parts.
I suppose it depends on which bikes are being compared though as they vary loads from make to make.
I would like to have a ride on a decent light weight gravel bike though for comparison.
I've done 80, 90 100 mile road rides and a triathlon on my London Road with 28mm road tyres on. Whack the 35c off road tyres on and it's great for canal tow path and bridle way bashing or commuting.
Would rather be on my MTB when trails get gnarly though. Gravel bikes are great and give you more freedom if you're not bothered about a proper road bike.
my rigid 29er is 8.9kg. Most gravel bikes aren't sub-9kg.
It's all about the trails. On road/gravel and towpath/easy stuff the gravel bike has the edge. Anything rockier/steeper the 29er is better.
Been out quite a bit on my Graventurex over the last few weekends and the rides have been a total blast. Was off the bike for a few months after Christmas, went out on an old retro bike a couple of times and I felt like my legs and lungs were encased in lead. Took the gravel thing out and felt like I was flying, on road, off road, up hill, down dale. Felt like my first MTB all over again. Just brilliant fun on tame trails. It is 10lb lighter so that probably helps quite a bit.
Last weekend riding around Ranmore common and the local trails and byways, and some of the descents were properly bumpy, literally holding on for dear life, unable to see, losing teeth, like a rodeo ride, but the most fun I've had at 15mph for a long time. Interesting strava result. 21 miles off road, 1 mile on it - brilliant ride. It would have been fun on my Stooge, but up Whitedown, off-road, with one gear would not have been.
There was one bridleway across a field near St Teresa's school that was just so horribly bumpy - dried horses hoof prints - that I was cursing my rigid steel frame, but I got over it ok and then back into the woods.
I ride the same stuff on my MTB as I do on my 'gravel' bike. On some bits, the MTB is better/faster. On some bits the 'gravel' bike is better/faster.
Just bikes innit?
Exactly, but if 99% of your riding is on the bits where the gravel bike is better/faster then a gravel bike is a good choice and why they exist.
Quite straight forward really.
mashr
They steer the bike down twisty trails for me so that I can look at the scenery? Otherwise, you’ve lost me
If you don't get what I meant, I've definitely lost you.
Do you want a search party sent out? 🙂
I ride my drop bar road/gravel bike (Steel disc thing which weighs more than a XC MTB) more than my MTB these days, just easier to take it out of the shed, hit the road, pick up the coastal routes, jump into the woods and back out onto the road all on the commute to work. Would be tedious on the MTB.
Not sure whether GeeX actually rides a gravel bike, he implies not but has an opinion anyway.
@TINAS I *actually* ride lots of bikes. And have ridden loads of 'gravel' bikes.
Do i own one? No. Would i own one? No. Why? Because of my opinion of them (based on riding many). The only drop bar bike I have (or want) is a roadbike. I've pretty much always owned and ridden roadbikes since the age of 7. I love them. the effortless acceleration. ease of speed, lightness, nimbleness and crisp handling are all awesome traits. Gravel bikes simply don't have that. On road they all feel like handicapped roadbikes. I completely "get" that drop bars have multiple hand positions and folk like that for long rides. I wonder. Do you "get" that standard mtb riser bars also have multiple hand positions? Especially if trails are dull AF or roads are ridden on them.
I did an mtb century about a month ago. Rode from Nottingham across to Cannock chase, did a lap of the dog and rode back.
Mostly canal path with a bit of road.
I was on an xc rigid 29er and a mate on a gravel bike.
North of 15 mph the drop bars become very apparent he was in an aero position, I spent the road bits sat behind him as the different positions means holding 20mph on an mtb for a period is a lot harder work as you are like a sail sat more upright with arms out. I run thunder burts on my xc bike so tyres rolled pretty similar.
Also a lot of gravel and canal paths have those annoying horse gate things that are narrow. You can ride straight through on drop bars maintaining speed- with an mtb you have to stop and waddle through with your bars at 45'
So they make sense if you aren't gonna get too gnar and ride on gravel and road.
chilled76
So they make sense if you aren’t gonna get too gnar and ride on gravel and road.
Nicely put, thanks. 🙂
So can we define gravel bikes as a useful general purpose bike for everyone but the gnarfast?
(Gnarfast, the evil twin of the hero Fastgnar of the Icelandic Sagas)
For me a big part of it is that I have zero interest in 'proper' road riding, but still want something capable of smashing out the miles on (potholed and gravel covered) tarmac.
Commuting, towpath gnar bashing, getting lost in the countryside. Mmmm, Isn't it?
I've fairly recently bought a Giant Toughroad and it's quickly becoming my favourite bike! Stick some 700c 42s and it will eat the bridleways, a quick wheel change to some slick 35c tyres and it will happily munch the miles on the road at an acceptable pace.
I really didn't get on with the drops though, gave me sore shoulders and neck pain so I fitted a set of the the Planet X "Geoff" bars (like Jones bars) and it's now brilliant. A great position to ride bridleways and enough different handholds to be comfortable on longer road rides
The only drop bar bike I have (or want) is a roadbike. I’ve pretty much always owned and ridden roadbikes since the age of 7. I love them. the effortless acceleration. ease of speed, lightness, nimbleness and crisp handling are all awesome traits. Gravel bikes simply don’t have that
Have you ridden a G2? or a Ruut? .
So can we define gravel bikes as a useful general purpose bike for everyone but the gnarfast?
Sounds fair to me. Also not everyone who wants to ride on the road wants or needs a lightweight carbon race machine. I have recently bought a pair of Diverges (his and hers) as replacements for ageing road bikes and to be ridden by ageing riders. I don't want or need the extreme position these days, something a little more relaxed is far more suitable. Plus I can take in the odd track if I wish too. They take mudguards and racks and will be pressed into some light touring duties. Put into context, if I want to ride on the roads around Derwent reservoir the Diverge will do nicely, if I want to do spud alley, Lockerbrook, etc. I'll take the MTB.
Be careful with geometry though. I have a desire to run the top of the bars at the same level as the saddle, even a little higher. Some gravel bikes are still stupidly long on top and low at the front for that racy, aggressive position. Err, no thanks. Despite being 6'1" I like a reach of around 380 and a stack of around 620. Looks a bit gawky, but it works for me. Run an 80mm stem. If I want to get lower I get in the drops and the bar tops are nice and upright for winching up the hills, hoods are just comfy. No neck or back ache to speak of, only sore legs. YMMV considerably.
Oh, and the shorter top tube means you can get your weight right back over the rear wheel for the steeper downhill bits, a bit like one of those MTB contraptions.
This picture sums up a gravel bike for me.
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Gravel river towpath, cows, countryside, fresh air. You wouldn't ride this on a road bike and it would boring on an mtb, but on a gravel bike with 47mm 650b tyres soaking up the bumps, it's awesome fun!
You wouldn’t ride this on a road bike
You may not. I however ride plenty of surfaces like that (and worse) on a fixed track bike with 28c tyres. And it is great for it as well as being fast on the road too. My fastest times on gravel are on my track bike especially when going uphill.
This is my "gravel" bike, all 6.5 kgs of it.
You wouldn’t ride this on a road bike
You could easily.
They're one of those things that alot of people convince themselves that they need, but the reality is they'd be better off with something else. But, drop bars are cool since road cycling took off.
They should be a road bike with wider tyres, great for over in the States where you've got miles of gravel roads to cycle. Instead, people seem to set them up with really short stems and an upright position (just noticed there's a whole page of them here https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-px-tempest-rival-1-for-1299/page/3/ ). This means poor handling and no aerodynamic benefits.
Why not just ride an MTB which is more fun and also faster in almost all offroad situations. Fit some bar ends for climbing. And you don't have to wear lycra. It's ironic that these gravel bikes are often made with the highend performance materials like Titanium and Carbon as well, when the whole bicycle package is anything but high performance!! Like a Ti frame is gonna make any difference when you're struggling to stay in control with your drop bars down a rock strewn path! Like, just fit some flat bars and save yourself about two grand! People are bloody stupid.
Oh, and the shorter top tube means you can get your weight right back over the rear wheel for the steeper downhill bits, a bit like one of those MTB contraptions.
Pass. I’ll take my longer reach and centred position just like my mtb
You wouldn’t ride this on a road bike
TBH, I've done rougher than that on 28mm tyres. However, there's definitely a point where it all gets a bit too much and wider/higher volume tyres are an advantage.
Hilarious. One post says ride it on a track bike and the next says use a mountain bike. If only there was some middle ground 😂